Epiloge to Fate Finds a Way
by Tiranth
Summary: Sesshomaru finds out Akari is dead, how does the taiyoukai react? You'll have to read to find out!


A/N-  *peeks out from behind her shield, which is splattered with tomatos*  Sorry everyone.  I'm working on a fic with Del Kaiden that will prove to be happier.  I told her not to let me kill anyone.  So here's an epilogue of sorts for Fate Finds a Way.  I'm not sure if it'll spin off into more but, I can't seem to get past this point.  If anyone has any ideas for bringing Se out of his catatonia so that he can go after Princeboyfromhell then let me know.  

He slid the door of Rin's room shut, quietly so not to awake her again.  He padded down the hall to his own room and entered.  For once in his life the taiyoukai finally felt happy.  He understood now his father's love for ningen.  Their short lives only intensified their passions; everyday was precious to them due to the fact that they were so few in number.  Sesshomaru slid the fur from his shoulder, laying it on the shelf, his clawed fingers stroking it gently.  He smiled as he remembered the day Akari asked him what it was.  He had been slightly embarrassed to tell her that it was part of his father's pelt but she hadn't found it silly.  She had just smiled at him, her eyes sparkling and hugged him.  He turned away from the fur and sat on his futon, thinking of his mate, wishing that she were with him now to share the quiet of the evening.  

            Suddenly he felt as if a cold hand had taken hold of him, pain lanced through his chest.  It passed quickly, leaving him gasping for breath and shivering.  Danger, his instincts screamed. Quickly he checked on Rin, only to see that the girl was sleeping soundly.  Still his feeling had not passed, only intensified.  He felt like a part of him had been ripped out, leaving a gaping hole in his soul.  "Akari…" he whispered, then disappeared into the night. 

            Inu Yasha stepped up the door and pushing aside the curtain looked out into the night.  The only sounds were the crickets outside and Shippo's soft snoring behind him.  The hanyou's ears twitched nervously.  Something wasn't right.  Sango had returned almost an hour ago, saying that she had come back to keep the houshi busy.  He tested the wind and found nothing.  He wanted to go to the sauna but if nothing was wrong he'd be sat unmercifully.  He shifted from foot to foot undecided.  "Oh to hell with it," he mumbled, racing out the door and up the path to the springs.  As he got closer, a metallic scent filled the air, one he knew all to well and made his stomach knot with fear.  "Kagome," he called, his feet moving even faster.

            He found her lying half out of the door to the sauna. "Kagome?  Kagome!" He lifted her body and knew that she was gone.  Her lower stomach was covered in blood.  He felt his soul shattering.  "Kagome!!!" he screamed into the night.

            Sango and Miroku jolted awake as a cry of pain split the air.  They looked at each other with wide and fear filled eyes.  "Inu Yasha!" 

            The taijiya and houshi untangled themselves from one another and bolted out the door, grabbing their weapons as they ran.  They came upon Inu Yasha cradling the body of Kagome, whimpering her name as his tears slid unabashed down his cheeks.  They heard Shippo, tearing up the path, calling out Kagome's name.  Sango turned and headed off the kit, scooping him up and holding him close.  "What's wrong Sango?  What's going on?" he asked.

            She looked over her shoulder and mouthed a word to Miroku.  He stepped closer, looking into the sauna and saw Akari, laying in a pool of blood, a dagger beside her.  The houshi knelt beside the grieving hanyou and put a hand on his shoulder.  "Inu Yasha, did Akari do this?"

            Inu Yasha did not respond, merely continued to rock back and forth, crushing Kagome to his chest.  

            "Where is Akari?"

            His question was the only thing that alerted them to the taiyoukai's presence.  They turned to see Sesshomaru standing above them on the rocks that surrounded the hot springs, the full moon suspended just above his head like a ridiculous crown.  He stepped off the rock landing lightly on the ground and repeated his question.  "Where is she?  I smell her blood."

            Miroku pointed past Inu Yasha, into the sauna.    With only a slight glance for his brother Sesshomaru opened the door wider and stepped inside.  His back went rigid as he took in the sight before him.  His eyes lending proof to what his nose had already told him.  Akari lay on her side, in a pool of blood that was rapidly soaking into the wooden floor.  Her eyes were open and she had a look of shock on her beautiful face.  He saw the wound in her stomach as he knelt beside her, blood staining the snowy whiteness of his silk hakama.  He felt numb inside, had ever since the pain ripped through him only an hour before.  He felt as if ice cold hands were squeezing his heart.  He reached out and touched her damp brown hair, his fingers brushing her cheeks.  They were as cold as the stone outside.  Her green-brown eyes were empty of the spark that he had first fallen in love with.  She was gone.  Gone before he had the chance to really be with her. He bent down; pressing his lips to her temple as he gently shut her eyes.  As his silver white hair fell forward obscuring their faces from the others he realized he was trembling.  He felt like something was tearing at him from the inside.  Finally unable to contain it anymore, he sat up throwing his head back, letting loose a soul piercing howl.

            Sango felt the howl cut through her like a knife, carrying with it pain and sorrow.  She wanted to cry even harder because of it.  In her arms Shippo trembled.  The little kitsune was finally realizing what was going on.  Sango looked at Miroku.  "What was that?"

            "Sesshomaru."

            Miroku watched as Sesshomaru's mournful cry died away and the taiyoukai once again bowed his head forward, the long silver white hair once again obscuring his face.  Before it did, the houshi could swear he saw a glint of red in those amber eyes.  Inu Yasha had stopped his whimpering and was now looking at Akari's body.  He could feel the growl vibrating up through the hand he still had on Inu Yasha's shoulder.  He knew what the hanyou was thinking.  The same thing was running through his own mind, but something didn't seem right.  Had Akari decided to act upon the mission she had told them about?  If she had was Akari the type of person to take her own life?  Inu Yasha started to rise, Miroku attempted to stop him, knowing his friends temper and what he was likely to do in his grief.  "Inu Yasha…wait," but his words did no good.

            Inu Yasha took the few steps toward his brother so that he was glaring down at the taiyoukai, anger evident on Inu Yasha's face.  "Your filth of a mate killed Kagome," he growled.

            Sesshomaru did not move.  When the taiyoukai did not respond, Inu Yasha hit him with a hard back hand.  Miroku tensed, waiting for the Western Lord to explode but he did nothing.  Inu Yasha reached down and grabbed handfuls of his silk kimono, lifting him off his feet, Sesshomaru looked at his brother with vacant eyes.  The hanyou snarled and threw the elder against the wall.  The force of the impact and the fact that the sauna had been built in a hurry carried the inu through the wood.  Sango gasped and Shippo squeaked in terror when Sesshomaru landed beside them.  The taijiya jumped out of the way as a still raging Inu Yasha began to kick his brother in the side.  Miroku hurried outside.  Why was Sesshomaru not fighting back?  He had seen several battles between the brothers and always Sesshomaru had been ruthless but now, he just lay there as if he no longer cared.  "Inu Yasha!  Stop!" he cried, in an attempt to break through the hanyous rage.

            As suddenly as he had started after Sesshomaru, Inu Yasha stopped.  He looked down at his brother, who was now rising to a sitting position, blood running from the corner of his mouth, his eyes gazing blankly.  He looked at the hand that had descended on his shoulder then at the horrified faces of his friends, the tears sparkling in Shippo's eyes.  "What do I do now Miroku?" he asked.

            "We take them back to the village and prepare them for burial."  He knew that was not what the hanyou was asking but it was the only answer he could give.  Inu Yasha nodded and returned to Kagome's body, lifting it in his arms and trudging slowly down the path to the village.  

            "Miroku, look."  Miroku turned at Sango's voice, to see that Sesshomaru had returned to sauna, to kneel once again beside Akari's body.  

            The houshi approached the youkai cautiously.  "Sesshomaru-sama?"

            No response, not even a twitch of the eye.  The blank expression had remained.  Miroku went to gather Akari in his arms.  Sesshomaru remained still as a statue.  Sango shifted the sniffling kitsune to her shoulder and reached down to take Sesshomaru's arm.  He rose when she gave it a gentle tug and followed her passively to the village.


End file.
